Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term results of EDTA flush in cats with ureteral bypass devices
By Berent, Allyson et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·The Animal Medical Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Long-Term Outcomes After Prophylactic Infusion of 2% Tetrasodium Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid in 95 Subcutaneous Ureteral Bypass Devices in 66 Cats With Benign Ureteral Obstructions.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 66 cats with benign ureteral obstructions underwent a procedure to place subcutaneous ureteral bypass devices (SUBs) to help with their urinary issues. Some of these cats received a special flushing solution containing 2% tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (tEDTA) during follow-up, while others received only saline. The results showed that cats treated with tEDTA had fewer complications like device mineralization and chronic urinary tract infections compared to those who only received saline. This suggests that using tEDTA could be beneficial for cats with these devices in the long run.
People also search for: cat urinary obstruction treatment · cat urinary tract infection prevention · tEDTA for cat ureteral bypass
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The use of subcutaneous ureteral bypass device(s) (SUB) for the treatment of benign ureteral obstructions (BUO) in cats has become more routine in veterinary practices. Device mineralization and chronic urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most reported long-term complications. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the occurrence of mineralization, bacteriuria, and chronic infections in cats after SUB placement, where 2% tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (tEDTA) was infused during standard SUB flushing when compared to a historical control group where sterile saline was used for flushing. The hypothesis is that tEDTA will decrease the rate of mineralization occlusions and infections of SUB devices without increasing other complications. ANIMALS: Ninety-five SUBs (39 unilateral; 28 bilateral) in 66 cats. METHODS: Retrospective study; Medical records from all cats that had > 180-day follow-up after undergoing SUB device placement were evaluated. Group 1 consisted of cats flushed routinely with saline only, Group 2 with saline and then switched to 2% tEDTA during their follow-up period, and Group 3 with 2% tEDTA only. RESULTS: Device mineralization was documented in 9/28 (32%), 8/16 (50%), and 10/51 (19%) SUB devices in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p = 0.025). Exchange was needed from re-obstruction in 4/28 (14%), 5/16 (31%) and 3/51 (6%), respectively (p = 0.016). Chronic UTI occurred in 7/21 (33%), 4/12 (33%), and 1/33 (3%) of cats, respectively (p = 0.004). UTI at the time of surgery was associated with the development of a chronic UTI (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS/CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Prophylactic use of 2% tEDTA might be helpful in reducing frequency of long-term SUB device complications and could be considered as part of the long term management plan.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40011049/